What is Washboard Express?

Washboard Express is a way for me to express my own opinions, to be a provocative gadfly, by writing a "letter a day" to the President. I may miss a day here and there, because sometimes my family with be my first priority, but my goal is to write a total of 365 letters, representing one full year. To say I have opinions about most things would be to understate the obvious. Those of you that know me, know this is true, those who don't know me, will learn that it's true. The Washboard is a reference to going back to basics and "keeping it clean," so if you would like me to post your comments or opinions on this blog, I only ask that you be respectful. So go ahead, express yourself, and I look forward to an exchange of ideas and opinions.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Day 63...Dear Mr. President... What have you done with Barack Obama?

Day 63

Dear Mr. President,

Yesterday I was questioning you about what’s happening in America that we care more about our bottom line than the people who are at the back of the line… the poor, the homeless, and the disenfranchised. I was looking for answers to problems that seem insurmountable when you consider the shear volume of things that need to be fixed in this country. Quite a few people liked my letter on FB and one lady said she almost cried because she felt the same way.

So today I decided to read your Inaugural Address again to see if I could figure out where and how you strayed from then to now. In the beginning you acknowledged, and I quote…

“That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered…” and that, “These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.”

The crisis has been exacerbated by the escalation of unsustainable wars, the violence and hatred is exponentially greater, and the economy is considerably weaker because we have not addressed the greed of Wall Street and a Republican Party that refuses to even consider taxing millionaires and billionaires. CEO’s continue to reap billion dollar bonuses in unprecedented numbers, while working class American’s settle for less pay than they were making decades ago, just so they can have a job and put food on the table. Is this the America you promised us?

You said that is wasn’t a question of whether government was too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, health care they can afford, and a retirement that is dignified. I ask you Mr. President, is it working? Is the threat to Social Security and Medicare, that you “put on the table” a step toward a ‘dignified’ retirement?

You told us that… “The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity, on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.”

You are correct about that, we are not prospering because this nation continues to favor only the prosperous… the working men and women today are less prosperous in spite of their willing hearts and the countless ‘sacrifices’ being made by everyone, except the super rich. The ‘common good’ is fading fast from the minds and hearts of average Americans, it’s being replaced by cynicism, and disappointment in a system that is still badly broken.

I will continue on Day 64’s letter, but until then, I have one question for you Mr. President,What happened to that Barack Obama, where is the man that promised us change, and gave us hope? That’s the man we put in the White House and that’s the man we want back.

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About Me

Having just retired after 15 years in magazine publishing, I thought I would venture into the wide world of Blogging. In my 66 years I've gained some insight about a few things. Most are silly observations about life in general. Some are serious, involving politics, and what I perceive to be right and wrong. My goal is to be somewhat of a gadfly, so if I goad you one way or the other, I've accomplished my goal.